The Lost Princess
by HannahHatter
Summary: A long time aho in the kingdom of Florin, Prince Humperdinck had a sister. Her name was Rosemary and she was lost on a royal family picnic. They'd been close to the dreaded Fire Swamp and had assumed the worse. But when Buttercup and Westley find themselves attacked by an ROUS (Rodents Of Unusual Size. I don't think they exist.) and she saves them, the kingdom is turned upside down
1. Chapter 1

Eighteen year old Prince Humperdinck looked longingly at the Fire Swamp. He was a natural born hunter and the woods were wrought with massive rodents that he would be proud to stuff and place on his dresser back at the castle. But his mother, Queen Bella had forbade it. She was terrified for, not him, he could take care of himself, but for eight year old sister Princess Rosemary who completely adored her older brother. Speaking of Rosemary, he wondered where she had wandered off stood up from the picnic blanket and went to find her. His family had been having their semi annual royal picnic. He walked around until he saw her trying to climb a tree. Her small, eight year old hands gripped at tears in the bark and she was trying to get a foothold, but kept slipping on the hem of her skirt. Humperdinck laughed and went to help her. She grunted with every slip. He took both hands, put them on her waist and lifted her onto a low branch. She gave a small gasp of surprise,but when she saw her brother, she laughed gleefully.

"Humperdinck!" She laughed, jumping from the branch and into his awaiting arms. He spun her around just to make her laugh some more. It was rumored that his sister was the one thing that made Humperdinck human.

"Come little sister. We must be getting back to the picnic, or mother may be angry with us." He put the young girl on his back and carried her piggyback style all the way back, where they were met with strawberry shortcake. As they sat down and began eating, an arrow flew past, stealing Queen Bella's teacup! They looked in the direction of where it came and they saw a band of men running at them with swords drawn!

"Take what you can be it living or not!" Shouted one man. Queen Bella screamed and Rosemary ran away. King Lotharon stood to attention and a group of guards led him and Queen Bella away while other guards ran to attack the men stealing all the silverware and chasing Rosemary! Humperdinck stood to run after her, but was Immediately attacked by a dozen men who tried to tie his hands and drag him away, but about two dozen guards came over and rescued him, then led him to the carriage. Humperdinck looked out at the turmoil in front of him as the carriage started to ride away. Rosemary! Humperdinck could see her being tied and stuffed into a burlap sack and carried off by a couple of men. But then, the men were stopped and the bag broke open, and she ran out, straight into the Fire Swamp.

"Rosemary!" Humperdinck shouted. Guards raced after her, but only few followed her into the Fire Swamp. It was a terrifying place. Nobody ever survived. Even Humperdinck wouldn't survive in there, and he thought that everything was a trap. So to see his beloved eight year old sister, the one thing that made him feel human, run into such a dangerous place,it nearly killed him.


	2. Chapter 2

Westley, better known as the Dread Pirate Roberts, watched as his beloved Buttercup disappeared into the Lightning Sand. They were running away from her fiancé, Prince Humperdinck. Buttercup had thought that Westley was dead and the prince had been able to choose whatever girl he wanted to be his bride. That was Buttercup. But the she'd been kidnapped by a man called Vizzini, who'd been tricked by his own logic and died. Westley had saved her and now they were going through the dreaded Fire Swamp, where no one had ever survived. Or so they thought.

Westley cut a vine and dove in after her. Then the two emerged from the pit, gasping and coughing. Westley helped Buttercup onto the solid ground and embraced her, spotting a large, ugly rodent.

"We'll never succeed. We may as well die here." Buttercup told him sadly. Westley pulled away and looked into her eyes.

"No, no. We have already succeeded." He helped her up, turning her around so that she could not see the rodent. "I mean, what are the three terrors of the fire swamp? One, the flame spurt. No problem. There's a popping sound preceding each, we can avoid that. Two, the lightning sand, but you were clever enough to discover what that looks like, so in the future we can avoid that too." Buttercup grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Westley, what about the R.O.U.S.s? And the Ghost of Princess Rosemary?"

"There is no such thing as ghosts. And Rodents Of Unusual Size? I don't think they exist." Just as he said this, R.O.U.S. appeared and pounced on Westley! Westley grunted and shouted, fighting the R.O.U.S. who had bitten on the forearm. It suddenly began to head for Buttercup. She quickly picked up a branch and hit as hard as she could and Westley lost his sword. The R.O.U.S. bit deep into his shoulder, then began to charge down Buttercup again.

'Westley!" She screamed. Westley tackled the R.O.U.S again. That was when he heard the popping of a flame spurt, and Westley rolled the R.O.U.S. towards the sound and used the spurt to ignite the animal. The fire distracted the R.O.U.S. and Westley got away, the beast screaming in agony. Westley stood, grabbed his sword, and stabbed the beast until it was dead. Then he turned to Buttercup, who was looking at him incredulously.

"See? We can handle the Fire Swamp." He told her. Then she gasped and pointed.

"Westley look!" She shouted. Westley turned and saw nothing. "There was a foot! A human foot! It was hanging out of the tree as if someone had slipped, but it pulled back!" She told him. Westley looked at the tree, studying it. He walked over, and he heard the smallest of the smallest of rustling and someone breathing hard, but not him, nor Buttercup. He took a stick and poked around in the tree, not feeling anything, but sensing as it was about to hit something, but the thing moved away. Then he slowly picked up another stick and went around whatever he was sensing and poked it hard. The thing began to move away, so he chased it with the sticks. The leaves rustled and Westley ran about under the trees, just chasing the thing. Buttercup was scared.

"Westley it's got to be the ghost!" she screamed. Then suddenly, he clamped the two sticks down and pulled them down, a person coming down with them. It was a girl! A girl with dark brown hair, brown eyes and pale skin. She was wearing a torn up dress that must have used to be white, but was now gray and brown from the mud and the gray leaves of the trees. She must have been trying to fix it up with the leaves and the ivy. She shook her hair and dust fell from it. She stood up and swiped some of the dust from her arm, scowling at Westley.

"That was a dirty trick." She grumbled. Buttercup looked at her, terrified.

"Y-y-you're th-th-the g-g-g-GHOST!" She screamed. The girl rolled her eyes.

"Well you're a barrel of fun." Then she turned to Westley. "And I'm not a ghost. I'm eighteen years old. And you two are trespassing in my swamp."

"Your swamp?" Westley raised his eyebrows. "This is the Fire Swamp."

"Yes and it belongs to me. Have you got a problem with that?" She asked, reaching into the tree and pulled down a sword and a bow. The bow she slipped over her shoulder with a bag of arrows and the sword she held down in a non threatening way. Westley could tell that she was serious and backed off.

"What's your name?" he asked her.

"Rose." She said simply. Westley raised his eyebrows again.

"Would that be short for Rosemary?" he asked her. She raised her sword, threatening him this time.

"What if it is? Why? Are you from the palace?" She demanded. Westley held up his hands in surrender.

"Whoa whoa whoa. I'm not here to take you to the palace. We were trying to get away from Prince Humperdinck." Her eyes went wide and she lowered her sword, turning away.

"Trust me. The only safe place from him is here in the Fire Swamp. mother never let him come here." Westley picked up a rock and tossed in the air a few times, catching it in his gloved hand.

"Really? Then would you mind us staying here with you?" He teased.

"I would mind very much actually. I have lived alone for too long to have anyone joining me."

"Then I'm afraid I can't let you stay here. Because you see, that gaudy prince might be a tad more forgiving if I brought you along with me." She turned to him.

"And what makes you think that I'm coming with you?" She asked him.

"The fact that you won't be conscious to say no." And he threw the rock at her and knocked her unconscious.


	3. Chapter 3

Carrying Rose out of the Fire Swamp, Westley led Buttercup to safety.

"We did it." She said with relief. Westley set Rose down on the ground and wrapped his arms around Buttercup.

"Now, was that so terrible?" He teased. She smiled, then they leaned in to kiss, only to be interrupted by several men riding up on horseback. Westley raised his sword as none other than Prince Humperdinck rode up.

"Surrender!" He demanded.

"You mean you wish to surrender to me?" Westley asked. "Very well, I accept." Humperdinck suppressed a grin.

"I give you full marks for bravery. Don't make yourself a fool."

"Ah, but how will you capture us? We know the secrets of the fire swamp. We can live there quite happily for some time, so whenever you feel like dying, feel free to visit."

"I tell you once again, surrender!" Buttercup noticed soldiers with crossbows surrounding them.

"It will not happen." Westley told Humperdinck.

"For the last time, surrender!" Humperdinck ordered.

"Death first!"

"Will you promise not to hurt him?" Buttercup exclaimed. Both men looked to her.

"What was that?" Humperdinck asked, just as Westley asked,

"What was that?" Buttercup stepped up to Humperdinck.

"If we surrender and I return with you, will you promise not to hurt this man?" Instead of answering, Humperdinck looked at the ground.

"Who's that?" He asked, almost softly. "Someone you found in the Fire Swamp?" Westley gestured to the girl lying on the ground.

"This is Rose. She was living in a tree. I knocked her out, but she should be waking soon." Humperdinck got off his horse and went over to Rose, turning her onto her back and looking at her face, sorrow filling his eyes.

"Rosemary." He whispered. "I thought that she was dead." He kneeled down and caressed her cheek. Then he seemed to remember that there were other people around and stood up. "Right." Then he turned to Buttercup. "I won't hurt him. May I live a thousand years and never hunt again."

"He is a sailor on the pirate ship Revenge. Promise to return him to his ship." Buttercup ordered. Humperdinck nodded.

"I swear it will be done." As he climbed onto his horse, he spoke to Rugen. "Once we're out of sight, take him back to Florin and throw him in the Pit of Despair." Rugen nodded. "Oh, and have one of the guards take Rosemary home."

"I swear it will be done." Rugen told him, then snapped his fingers to one of his men, who went over, lifted up Rosemary, and lay her across the neck of his horse, then rode off with her. Meanwhile, Buttercup was talking to Westley.

"I thought you were dead once and it almost destroyed me. I could not bear it if you died again, not when I could save you." Then Humperdinck rode by and pulled her onto his horse, then rode away with her, leaving Westley at Count Rugen's mercy.

(Replying to The Queen of All Things: Well thanks, queen! I'm glad you like it!)


End file.
